Chapter 8
Ice-Cold Ceo, Crazy Love
âTimothy, just ignore her. Thatâs just how she is,â Yana said after a short pause as she tried to comfort Timothy.
Timothy came back to his senses and smiled subconsciously. âWell, sheâll realize that Iâm right sooner or later.
Yana thought for a while and chuckled. âTimothy, donât worry about Belle. We all know that Adam isnât a good choice for a husband. I also tried to convince Belle not to marry him, but all she could think about was the Landor familyâs wealth and power. Since sheâs made up her mind, and she has got what she wanted. I guess sheâs quite happy now.â
âIs that soâ¦â Timothy seemed to be in a little bit of a daze..
âYeah.â Yana pretended not to realize it and changed the subject. âBy the way, does the company still need funds? I still have some money saved up. Perhaps I make an investment.â
Upon hearing this, Timothy looked at Yana with a gentle gaze. When he first established his company, it was Yana who had secretly funded him. If he hadnât coincidentally discovered the truth, he wouldnât have been able to be with Yana so quickly.
In Timothyâs arms, a hint of smugness flashed in Yanaâs eyes as she watched Belle leave.
Meanwhile, Belle returned to the venue with Adam, but was stopped by his stepmother, Penelope.
âHey, whereâve you been? How could you disappear like that on such an important occasion?â
Penelope exaggeratedly blocked their path, loudly reprimanding them, quickly attracting the attention of nearby guests.
âYeah, thatâs right. I havenât seen them for a while. They didnât even say hello to everyone.â
âKeep quiet, this is clearly their private matter. Mind your own business.â
âThatâs right, didnât you notice how dark Mr. Adamâs face was?â
Belle felt the grip on her hand tighten. Before she could say anything, Atlam said sarcastically, âJust had some work to take care of. If I donât work hard, how will your son survive if he returns to the country?â
Penelopeâs face.
turned dark. But before she could say anything, Adam had already left with Belle, leaving behind the murmurs of the guests and an obviously enraged Penelope.
head and said to Belle, âI donât know what you were After a short while, Adam suddenly lowered his like before, but here, as long as Iâm around, you are Mrs. Landor. Thereâs no need to care about other peopleâs opinions.â
N N N B BBBB Belle looked up at the determined man and felt a sudden surge of emotion. She knew Adam must have understood her past to speak to her in such a manner.
Even though she had known Timothy for ten years, he always believed Yanaâs words more and never truly cared about her. Adam, on the other hand, in just one day, understood what she actually needed.
Belle reached out and her arms tightly around Adamâs, nodding silently.
Finally, the party came to an end.
After bidding farewell to the guests, Belle let out a long sigh of relief.
âBelle. I bet you will feel a little uncomfortable moving in with us after just being married to Adam,â
Penelope said with a smile. âIâve prepared a separate room for you. The servant will take you there.â
Belle hesitated and subconsciously glanced at Adam.
Adam remained composed and gave nothing away.
Belle had no choice but to muster the courage to ask, âWhat do you mean by youâve prepared a separate room? Iâve already married Adam. Shouldnât we be living in the same room?â
Adam glanced at Belle with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Penelopeâs expression became awkward.
Adamâs face looked terrible. Even though Belle kissed him, Penelope still believed that Belle must find him repulsive.
That was why she had arranged separate rooms, partly to embarrass Adam and partly in the hope that Belle would be grateful.
She never thought that Belle would be so clueless as to reject it.
âDid I say something wrong?â Belleâs expression was innocent.
Charlie laughed. âNo, no. The husband and wife should indeed sleep in the same room. Adam, take Belle to your room.â
Adam nodded in agreement and glanced at Belle. âFollow me.â
Belle obediently followed behind Adam.
After walking for a while, Adam stopped.
Belle looked at him with confusion.
A Adam said calmly, âThereâs one more thing I forgot to tell you. Despite her claim to be my mother, I never acknowledged her. So, from now on, you can just call her âAunt Penelopeâ like me.â
Adam didnât hide his disdain for Penelope.
Belle immediately nodded. âI understand.â
âOkay, letâs go.â Adam then continued walking.
Penelope felt embarrassed and her face darkened.
Adam deliberately said those words out loud for her to hear.
She couldnât help but glance at Charlie. âCharlie, look at Adam. Iâm his elder and heâ¦â
Charlie glanced at Penelope indifferently. âThen you should act like an elder first by behaving yourself. I think youâve been officious lately.â
Penelope panicked and hurriedly asked, âWhat do you mean?â
Charlie gave her a meaningful look. âThe Landor family is totally different from what it was ten years ago. The current status of the Landor family is entirely the result of Adamâs hard work. Do are? you think people show you respect just because of who you âPenelope, you are not Adamâs biological mother. It was because that Adamâs father had passed away early, and I pitied you that I allowed you to stay. But thatâs all it is. If you are a smart person, you should get along well with Adam. This way, you and Leo will live a comfortable life. But if you continue to do things you shouldnât, I canât guarantee that your days will remain this comfortable.â
Charlieâs tone carried a warning-
Penelope gritted her teeth and said reluctantly, âCharlie, Leo is smart from a young age. When he graduates, the Storm Groupâ¦â
âThatâs enough.â Charlie interrupted angrily. âWhat does the Storm Group have to do with you or with Leo? Itâs an empire Adam has built with his hard work!â
Penelope was even more unwilling to accept this. âYou canât put it that way. Adam was able to expand the company because of the foundation and connections left behind by his father. Leo should rightfully have a share in the Storm Group as well.â
Charlie couldnât stand it anymore. He said angrily, âPenelope, I didnât expect you to be so greedy! The Storm Group used to be a small company. Did you really think Adam got to where he was today because of his fatherâs connections?â
Penelope fell silent, but her inner resistance was still evident.
A JM MADDL Chapter!
Charlie didnât want to talk to her anymore, so he said coldly, âFor Adamâs sake, Iâll give you one last chance. Behave yourself and you can stay in the Landor family. But if you continue to harbor unwarranted ambitions, then Iâm going to have to ask you to leave.â
Penelope panicked at the thought of her being kicked out of the Landor family.
She was able to do as she pleased before because of Adamâs father and Charlieâs sympathy towards her.
That was why she could stay in the Landor residence. But if Charlie stopped protecting herâ¦
Penelope lowered her head and said gently, âPlease donât be mad, Charlie. I know what I did was wrong.â
Charlie didnât care whether Penelope recognized her mistake or was just pretending. He simply gave her a cold look and said, âRemember what you said today.â
He then turned and walked away.
As soon as Charlie left, Penelope raised her head, and hostility flashed in her eyes.
âThis old man is still biased after all. They are both from the Landor familyâI donât believe that Adam is so much better than Leo! If Adam could succeed, why canât Leo? Just you wait! When my son graduates and returns, the Storm Group might not necessarily belong to Adam.â